A Turkish government minister has called on Europe to do more to stop radicals travelling through his country to join the jihad in Syria.
Hayati Yazici, Minister of Customs and Trade, wants to prevent young Muslims crossing the border to fight against Syrian government forces.
Syria has become a magnet for extremists taking part in jihad – a holy war, according to analysts.
“The Europeans let them [European jihadists] travel from their countries to Turkey and then ask Turkey to prevent them going to Syria,” said Yazici. He asked, “Why do you let them leave? If you know they’re going to Syria then you should prevent them from travelling.”
The minister told euronews that he’d like to see European countries sharing information about the movements and activities of young radicals.
Thousands of young men have left Europe to join Islamist rebels fighting in Syria.
And as the conflict drags on the numbers are growing with some recruits as young as 15 or 16.
